The Irish standard., 1887-05-07

! people OF three or tour centuries Which
had gathered there that day he could
not doubt what the result of this strug.
gle is going to be. He thought that if
Mr.. Trench himself were to 60 there to-
day and look at this meeting, whatever
little courage he had remaining would
rapidly sink into his boots. This meet
ing meant that the entire population
of these counties was at tie tenantry of
Luggacurran. The priests were there,
the traders were there, and the people
were there; and who had they on the
other side? They had nobody who is
not paid, whereas the tenants of Lugga-
curren had on their side the indepen-
dent support of everything that is res
pectable and honest in the county. He
thought he might say OIL the part Of the
tenantry that they cared very little
whether this struggle was long or
short. Ii the struggle is long the re-
suit will be that Lord Lansdowne will
lose more money. (Hear, hear) Ii he
is wise he will make thai struggle a
very short one. Every week that this
struggle goes on costs Lord Lansdow ne
over a couple of hundred pounds,
whereas the tenants had nothing to fear
or to lose. And why? Because they
had at their backs, not only the re-
sources of the people of these countries,
but the Irish race all over the world.
(Cheers.) And he could tell Mr.. Trench
and the people of these counties that if
he keeps them out for year they will
not be allowed to lose a shilling.
(Cheers.) How to fight. Why had
this movement done so much for the
people of Ireland? Because they had
had found out at last the means of max
ing an evicting landlord suffer. Now,
they had taught the people how they
can carry the war into the enemy's
country. Their meeting that day was
a very good thing, but what was far
better was to make an eviction cost
something. (Hear, hear.) A time
there was when in spite OF meeting
like that hundred men would take the
farm of John Dunno or of Denis Kill
bride. Where is that man i'll Ireland
to-day who would pay rent for these
farms? No, the landlord can gev no
rent now, and not alone that, but he
has to get the scruff and the refuse of
Ireland-men who charge Ell week
and are too great swells to work-and
the consequence is, that for every farm
from which an honest man is evicted,
not alone does the landlord lose the
rent, but it costs him double the rent to
caretake it, and therefore it is that the
landlords of Ireland were beginning t.,
get civil. (Hear, hear.) The time had
come when they could show the land
lords that if they struck them, the ten
ants could strike back. (Cheers.) A
Coercion bill had been introduced, but
it had not been passed yet. Hear,
hear.) Although the Tory Govern
ment have a majority i'll the House of
Commons, the people of England were
against coercion, and they were going
to make their voices heard, and were
not to confer upon Irish
the power of expressing
the people and enforcing their rack
rents. (Cheers.) Ifthey had Coercion
Act tomorrow he would tell them that
all the Coercion Acts ever passed would
not enable the landlords to make any
profit out of it. They could not compel
a man to take farm when he did not
want to do it, and he thought it very
that they would get anyone to
take the farms at Luggacurren.
(Cheers.) The magistrates knew very
we'll that, the government would not
last more than at the utmost six
or a year. He did not suppose
that the magistrates of Ireland, who
were always thinking of their bread
and butter, were going to make enemies
of this country and OF the democracy Of
If the Act were passed to-
the magistrates would not work
it, because they would be afraid to work
it. (Iear.) They should show the
people of England that they will not be
trampled upO matter what Coer-
cion Act is passed, and if they proved
this the democracy Of England would
rise up and throw out their Tory gov
and then in a few months
the people of Ireland will be in a posi-
ton to offer to the Irish landlords what
ever terms they consider just. loud
cheers.)
MR.. O'BR1EN's SPEECH.
Mr.. William O'Brien said-First let
me thank the people Of Athy for the
way in which they have put their hand
into their pockets and expressed their
with the men Of Luggacurren
in sterling coin of the realm CHEERS
Believe me, there is not a landlord in all
Kildare or in Queens county who won't
understand the significance of the I'M
character of their move
ment when they see the bank notes
into the Luggacurren Fund
in hundreds, as they are (cheers.) The
landlords understand the language of
The hank notes hatter than the LANGUAGE